


My Sheath

by 987chris



Category: Band of seven - Fandom, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Bankotsu - Freeform, Bankotsu X oc, Blood, Drama & Romance, F/M, Manga & Anime, Romance, Shichinintai | Band of Seven, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Tragedy, Violence, inuyasha - Freeform, pre-inuyasha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-01-04 18:57:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12174708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/987chris/pseuds/987chris
Summary: AU (Pre-Inuyasha series)The only member of the Band of seven to escape the ambush that was set for them was the leader Bankotsu. Close to death in the beginning of winter he is given a second chance at life and perhaps love, even if its for a short time."My love for him will not be enough to chance the consequences of his actions..."





	1. First Signs of Winter

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, Thanks for popping by! This is my first first fan-fiction of a character (Bankotsu) I feel is really underappreciated. The first Chapter is the shortest. If you like angst and drama you've come to the right place! Enjoy!

The night cloaked over the sky, the full moon giving its gentle light. The first signs of winter had come earlier in the day as the first snows descended, lightly at first, then it had accumulated to a full-fledged storm. The ground that had been covered in a new layer of pristine snow moments before was now stained with droplets of blood. A path of labored footsteps marked the ground that was once untouched. Bankotsu, Leader of the band seven took one step after each agonizing step, his halberd being used as a means of support. The halberd was a gargantuan sword indeed; it took some men with immense strength to be able to lift such a weapon. And now, ironically, the injured man could not even carry himself without its assistance.  
Bankotsu fought hard to stay alert; he fought hard to stay alive. He had lost so much blood from the many arrows that pieced multiple parts of his body, but it would take much more than arrows to eradicate a man like himself.  
The winded howled strongly at him making the young man grit his teeth. He continued to move thinking of the brothers he had left behind. It was only some hours ago they had all been deceived by those war lord bastards. He watched as his comrades were captured and defeated one by one because they were deemed too powerful to be left alive. By now he figured that they must have all been kept somewhere waiting for the executioner that the deed had been done. He was the only one who had been quick and agile enough to escape the multitude of men that ambushed them, however it was only by the skin of his teeth. He had suffered much damage and in addition to the storm it was beginning to take a toll on his stamina and energy. Determined to stay alive he kept moving, swearing that he would return the favor to those that betrayed the band of seven; his brothers. It had been that hearts declaration of revenge that gave him the will power he needed to keep moving onward. 

“Dammit....” he grunted in anguish. The agonizing pain and the harsh cold were beginning to make his body weaker and his mind numb. He moved for what seemed like hours on end, each step was coming harder than the last. Finally he was able to reach a clearing, as he made his way through a light in a short distance attracted him like a moth to flame. Bankotsu was able to conclude that the light had come from the inside of a small house. Pushing onward he moved faster exerting the last bit of strength he had without a thought of who the house had belonged to. His sight becoming blurred until the house was lost and the light was merely a warm glow.  
‘Keep going!’ He commanded himself, completely disgusted with the weak mortality of his own body. Despite the command his legs disobeyed him and began to shut down completely. Not now, he needed only last a little longer. However his grip on the halberd was lost after its final plunge into the ground and his legs finally gave under him. He looked at the house and its lightning in the snow pathetically. He couldn’t die; he refused to die running from his is enemies. Who would avenge the Band of seven? And who would give those war lords the fate they deserved if not him? He needed to live, but his body wouldn’t listen to him. He looked up toward the light reaching out; the last thing he was able to see before going unconscious was a silhouette in the light and then darkness.


	2. Cauterization

“Ow!” Sayuri jumped at the strange sound coming from outside of her home. The sound of the storms wind had been howling outside, but the sharp thud and crunching of snow had been what caused her to prick herself. She placed the sewing needle and cloth she had been mending down beside her and went to retrieve a dagger she had kept away unsheathing it. Her heart rate increased as she slowly began to rise to her feet and moved carefully toward the doors. She hoped the noise had been caused by wild animals running form the cold and not the bandits her mind had immediately imagined. She breathed deeply peeking from the door with her blade in a tight grip in case there was need to strike. However upon looking out she saw neither the bandits nor animals. Instead she saw only a single man wounded with protruding arrows, beside him was a giant sword already being covered in the snow just as he was. She gasped at the sight and immediately went over to the unconscious man only a few yards from the house.  
Sayuri fell to her knees beside the unconscious man and quickly looked over him. There was so much blood and snow she couldn’t tell whether the man was alive or not. She took the dagger and placed it under his nose, watching for some sign of breath to fog the metal. When the heat of his shallow breathes clouded the blade she sighed in relief and felt a pull in her heart that urged her to help poor creature, and she obeyed without a second thought. Without having to look over the man she knew he had been a warrior, his giant sword and armor had told her that much of him. How on earth did a warrior end up in by the mountains and in her yard no less?  
Acting quickly the woman placed the daggers handle between her teeth and scooped the man from the underarms, grunting in attempt to lift him. But Sayuri had only been able to lift his torso a little more than a foot off the ground, knowing she could do no more she began to drag him with all her strength back to the warmth and safety of the house. Half way there she fell to her knees, her heavy breath coming from between her mouth and dagger handle was visible in the cold wind. She rested for a short moment before lifting him again, this time she had managed to drag him inside the house and lay him on the floor resting on his stomach. She stood over him with her blade in her hand breathing heavy as she wiped the droplets of water from the snow off her face. She went and closed the door of her home to block the cold winds.

When it had come to the matter of wounded men she knew she had little time and experience, she had watched as men would return home from wars much like this man had most likely attempted, the woman would immediately start working on their cuts and gashes. It was only from her observations that she knew what to do. So she began to carefully break arrow shafts that went through his armor with her bare hands and went to undo the ties to his armor and his obi sash. When the first two steps had been completed she peeled the armor off him as carefully as she could manage; this proved itself to be no simple task and required her full concentration. Now there was the matter his Haori, it was easier to remove since all she had to do was make cuts to get the fabric off his skin placing it to the side. Sweat had developed on her brow in her intense focus, if she wasn't careful he would die on her and there was no time to call for help.  
She looked at what was left of the shafts that protruded from his flesh, she knew she had to remove them, but if done wrong he would bleed out causing his end on her floor. She looked at her dagger that had been placed to the side then slowly to the controlled fire that burned at the hearth. She took the blade and swiftly placed it in the flames watching as the metal turned red from the immense heat. Sleeves pulled back, she wiped her sweat and rubbed her hands on her kimono making sure they were dry, now the question that troubled her was where to start, the arrows in his arms had went through, making it fairly easy to remove and there were no wounds on his legs. However the few arrows in his torso worried her most, so she started with them. Sayuri gripped the rest of the shaft and breathed a determined yet shaky breath before yanking out the arrow with a grunt which caused the young man to hiss in pain. Blood flowed from the wound until she had taken the red metal dagger from the fire pressing it to his wound. This had caused him to release a scream of excruciating pain as the sizzle and smell of cooked flesh filled the room. The first wound now being seared closed Sayuri removed the blade and examined her work. Raw and burned flesh aggressively looked back at her, but most importantly it was closed. She waited for a moment to start on the others, in which he also thrashed and screamed. It took using her whole body to hold him down which was still barely enough to get the task done. Even on the verge of death she struggled with his strength, she could only imagine if the man had been at full power, it would have been impossible. Some hours later she managed to complete the task and bandaged him up after running a warm damp cloth over him to clean the blood off his upper body. He has pasted out again from the pain half way through the process; which made the procedure go much faster. Now she simply watched as the warrior rested soundly on is back in the blankets she placed over him to warm him. She placed the dagger to cool down and leaned against the wall exhausted.  
The heaths fire had long since died down; her remaining source of light was the break of dawn that had slowly illuminated her surroundings with a soft blue undertone. She looked down at man and for the first time truly observed him. He was so young, perhaps her age. He was bronzed skinned with hair that was as black as night. The purple star tattoo had caught her attention most since she had never seen anything like it before. She reached out and swept some hair from his face look a better look at his features resting her hand right on his cheek. He was warm now, and within the safety of her mind she had decided that he was also very attractive as well. 

“What happened to you…” she asked tenderly to his sleeping form.

Sayuri looked toward the door and groaned before willing herself to stand up. The sunlight that came into her room revealed her kimono was stained with the blood of the warrior. She made a face of disapproval and began to remove her clothes and changed into something clean, occasionally peeking back at the man just in case he would awaken for any reason. She adjusted her clothes and looked to the sleeping man again wondering what she would do with him. Sayuri knew full well that he would need proper treatment and salves for the burnt flesh to heal; which meant that she would have to go into the village and retrieve the supplies to do so. Luckily, the village was only a short distance away so the effort wouldn’t be much, except now she had the snow to worry about. She figured it would be better to do so now than later, and filled with a sense of responsibility for the man in her house Sayuri dressed appropriately for the weather and retrieved a small pouch with some of her earnings and left. The cold breeze nipped at her face as she made her way out. The wind wasn’t as harsh as the previous night and the sun shined brilliantly.  
The morning air was crisp and the sun had just reached beyond the horizon. Sayuri looked to where the halberd had been plunged into the ground. It had fallen over and was now completely buried under snow. It was almost like it had never been there in the first place, but she had known better. She went on to the towns market, the streets would be packed of people buying the last minute supplies needed for the winter. Sayuri herself had been pretty prepared for the winter ahead, even for the coming and goings of strangers that occasionally needed shelter from the cold, whether they would stay for some or most of the winter season.


	3. Awake

The sun gave warmth and life to the village, the children had just come outside to play their games in the fresh clean snow while the adults went to their respective occupations. The sky was so bright and warm despite the chilly air; it was just like any other winter day in the small village. Despite this, Sayuri considered how hard it was to believe that just a few hours ago she had bandaged a wounded warrior that fell in front of her yard. It seemed like her life was beginning to change like the seasons around her. And if this was the case, she couldn’t help but anticipate the spring. She looked up letting her face take in the warmth of the sun; it kissed her pale skin with its gentle heat rejuvenating her. She needed whatever jolt of energy she could for today, once she acquired the supplies she needed she would return home and catch up on the sleep she had lost last night.  
She went to the village apothecary, an older woman who was rather cheerful in her nature especially when having greeted her.  
“Hello dear, what do you need?” The older woman inquired with a smile.  
“I need something for burns,” she answered having also mentioned the bandages and pain medicines.  
The old woman nodded and got the items without any question or comment, like herself the older woman hadn’t lived in the village directly, but used the location to make her business. It was because of this the woman would not ask questions to her customers but simply do business and Sayuri was grateful for that.  
“Here you are.” The woman hummed handing her the items that she asked for.  
“Thank you.” Sayuri nodded in thanks handing her the proper payment and turned her heel to leave.  
“My you look so tired girl! You should go and get some rest before you look as old as I am.” An old woman scolded her playfully. Sayuri took at the woman with a soft blush; she had not been expecting such a comment, she was exhausted indeed, but had her appearance reflected that fact so blatantly? She gave a sheepish smile in response “I will I promise.” She bowed and left in a hurry while the woman waved her good bye.  
Returning home in the early afternoon with medicines and more bandages Sayuri went inside the house and placed the items away. She went over to the nameless man and placed a hand on his forehead checking for any sign of a fever. The young man felt normal for the time being. His breath was steady but shallowing, all signs that he was making a descent start toward full recovery. Sayuri believed that he must have had some favor with the gods, most men would have surely died. He had not moved from the position she had originally placed him in, perhaps it would be a long while before he actually moved at all.  
She yawned loudly, her body begging for rest, but she still felt so dirty from her own sweat. An hour would pass after she considered herself fully clean, the house in which she lived was conveniently located next to a hot spring in which she was able to bathe freely, it had taken all her strength not to fall asleep in that very place. She changed for the second time that day into fresh clothes. Being Clean she prepared her futon for a much needed rest, it had taken her no time at all to fall asleep, she place herself near the injured man in case she would have to tend to him for whatever reason that arose. Sayuri slept soundly and dreamlessly, by the time she did awaken in been early evening.  
Two days had been since then, Sayuri had gotten back into the routine of her life easily. If she was honest with herself she would admit how bored she had become. Winter made for a lack of clients and the man didn’t need constant attention and care. His breathing had become stronger over the past two days, and the swelling of his wounds had begun go down and heal properly with the help of the ointment and the clean bandages. Part of her hoped that he would wake up soon, at least then she could truly have the company of another stranger. In times like this she remembered how much life this home once had. It was a home for other artisans like herself, the warmer seasons would be so busy with orders for the ladies and men of the nearby castle, and she had the company of other girls like herself along with the head mistress. She smiled to herself, knowing how much commotion the man would have caused amongst the girls, fighting among each other to get a chance at tending the handsome young stranger. This winter would be the first time she would ever spend it on her own, with the head mistress gone the girls left one by one, most had gone to the castle for employment while others went back to their villages. She too had been urged to join them at the castle, her friends had not understood why she has chosen to stay in an empty house. Part of her wanted to join them, in time she mostly likely she would have, but she wasn’t ready to let go of the sentiment that this house held for her.  
Sayuri sat with the door slide open allowing her to get a good view outside. The snow fell gently and the scene was so peaceful. She used to wonder how long she would have left at the house before she too moved on. However all those things had been put to rest now, fate would have her here for a reason. If she went, the warrior would surely have died in the snow covered and forgotten by the world and left to rot. After a long time of being in her thoughts she was pulled back into reality by the sound of groaning and shuffling. She looked back to see the man tossing in the sheets, covered in sweat. She closed the door and went to him and looked over his strained face.  
“A nightmare…” She said to herself. Sayuri frowned with pity at the man and began to run her hands through his hair hoping that it would give him some comfort. Some seconds later she started to sing for the sleeping man. It had been something that had worked on her growing up when she would wake up from nightmares or had trouble falling asleep. The shifting and strain of the man’s face began to turn peaceful and calm. Soon the only thing that could be heard was the soft lullaby she sang as she comforted him like a child. She had only left him when she went to get a cloth to wipe the sweat off him. It was when the man was completely peaceful that she decided to leave him rest and start on making dinner for the evening.  
She gathered the ingredients to make a simple stew and began to place all the ingredients together to boil. Soon the house began to smell of boiling meat and cooking stew. She still sang softly has she did her task, not wanting to stay within the silence. She checked on the stew every once in a while and looked around for something to do while she waited. She decided that she would work on the destroyed haori that belonged to the warrior. She took it looking at the holes and begin to sew the tears made from the arrows. Later she would wash them and hang them, but not today…  
It would be another uneventful day. She figured that after her meal she would apply more ointment on the man’s burns, bathe and perhaps go to sleep for the night. She would have nothing else to do for the night found it pointless to do nothing while in her own mind, but tonight this would not be the case, as Sayuri worked diligently she had been completely unaware that the man in her home was beginning opening his eyes.


	4. First impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess whose back, back again. But for real I am so sorry that ive been gone for so many months.

The mercenary had dreamed of the white snow fall and the fresh blood that stain. There had been so much of it on the ground he could almost smell its familiar copper scent. He was in the mountains with his brothers, their lives were being hunted like it had been a game to them. The blood that was shed but mostly belonged to the dogs that came after them, but their own blood had started shed from massive attack that came after them. The band of seven was starting to feel the effects of the constantly running and battling for their lives.  
In the end the band of seven had been captured and sentenced to death by the general that had hired and betrayed them. His Banryu had been taken from him leaving him with an overwhelming wrath in his heart, and his comrades had decapitated them one by one leaving him for last. Bankotsu watched the heads of his brothers fall to the ground with a loud thud followed by an eerie silence. He had seen the death of many before; especially from that of his own hand, but never had he felt the weight of death’s silence. The weight of that silence was new and strange for him.  
Finally, a solider had come to him wielding a long katana. He brought the sword over his head and swung down with great force, but instead of the anticipated pain it had only been darkness that clouded his vision. He thought for a moment that the darkness that enveloped him must have been hell, but then why did he smell something boiling?  
Bankotsu heard the sound of a woman’s voice in the distance, the melody had been soft and sweet. As he started to wake his began to regain all of his senses, followed the searing pain from fresh wounds. His eyes began to open, adjusting quickly to the light that filled the room. He was alive?  
His first reaction had been to move and sit up, but his body hadn’t adjusted to the pain just yet making the task a difficult one.  
‘Dammit... I feel terrible, where the hell am I?’ He thought as he weakly analyzed his surroundings. He was in a fairly large and empty space, the smell of food and the singing had still been present, but he hadn’t been unable to find its source or detect any threat for that matter. The wounded man looked up to the ceiling and realized that his life had been spared, it was all coming to him then.d been the only one that had escaped the armies. He didn’t even remember how he had managed to do that, the wrath started to boil in his veins once more.  
Suddenly the singing had started to become louder followed by the sound of footsteps that headed toward his room. He turned his head to the sound as the doors slid open, revealing the woman who he assumed save him from death. She must have been about his age or so, her hair was long and dark, it framed her face nicely, her skin was pale with eyes like honey. How lucky he must have been to be saved by a woman so beautiful. She entered the room with a basin of water and a wet cloth in which he assumed had been for him. She had yet to realize that he had been awake.  
“Woman.” he croaked out weakly, his voice being dry. He had tried to move again but was reminded of his immobility from the immediately protest of his body. The woman gasped and meet his eyes with shock.  
“You’re awake?!” She announced and went over to him immediately kneeling next to him. “Don’t move, your wounds are still fresh.” She ordered softly, she placed the basin of water beside her and looked over him.  
He obeyed her order and didn’t move, the pain had almost been too unbearable.  
“Where am I?” He had managed to croak out.  
Sayuri had understood from the sound of his voice that he needed water, the basin of water that was next to him had been to clean him. “You are in a village near the mountains.“ She answered before standing. “I’ll be back.” She said as she left to the room. He followed her movements out of the room and again when she had entered with a smaller basin and a ladle. Kneeling beside him again she gently prompted him up and brought the ladle to him. “Drink.”  
He didn’t need to be told twice. He greedily drank the water that was given to him relieving the dryness in his throat.  
Sayuri looked over the man as he drank with need, she pitied the poor thing. When he was satisfied she took basin that was met to clean him and look the rag and ringed it so that it was damp until she realized that he had been staring her with a gaze unbending, it nearly took her breath away. “W-what is your name?” She asked softly. Mentally beating her head for the stutter that escaped her lips.  
“Where is my Blade?” He countered, his voice still strained.  
The question had caught her off guard, and she blinked remembering the giant blade that he had carried here before he had collapsed behind the property. She had been so concerned by the state that she had all but forgotten about the massive halberd that was buried under the snow.  
“It is still outside wear I found you. Had I been able to move it would be inside.” She answered truthfully. The answer seemed to satisfy the man enough that he gave a light sigh and looked upward, despite having slept for nearly three days he still seemed so exhausted. She decided that the questions would have to wait til later and began to run the rag along his face and neck. She felt his gaze return to her as she did her task and struggled to return the gaze. As injured as he was she still had never met one as handsome as he was, his gaze held a power in them that made her nervous, something she knew he must have been aware of.  
Her lip tightened, and she met his gaze back bravely, almost challenging them.  
“What’s wrong?” She asked finally.  
The mercenary simply gave a roguish smirk. “I’m simply enjoying the view.”  
She answered with a huff and returned to her task. “You don’t know what you’re saying.” She said with an impressive pout. But the blush had still flushed to her cheeks, something he didn’t fail to notice. She left the task undone and went to retrieve the medicine that had meant to be for his pain.  
Bankotsu had been reluctant to take what the woman had offered to him. Sensing his reluctance she had said it would ease his pain and help him heal. He took the medicine and had let her take care of him for the rest of the day. He had hated the feeling of being so vulnerable and weak, but he was a patient man and did not fight with the woman knowing it was necessary. Once he was healed he would make those warlords regret the day they had ever been born and avenge his brothers.  
The medicine the woman had given him had made him drowsy and his eye began to grow heavily. He lazily watched the woman move about the room humming that same tune he had woken up to. Only this time her voice had helped lay him to rest for the rest of the night.


	5. What comes next...

Sayuri rose early with the sun, as was the habit. She would complete her morning routines before going to check on the injured man. Peeking into the room, she found that the young man was still sleeping soundly in the room, it didn't surprise her of course, he needed the rest after all.   
The girl decided to leave him alone and went to make breakfast for the both of them, expecting that the smell of food would wake him up. She made something that would easy for him to hold down, not sure if he was quite ready for solids just yet. 

After she was done making breakfast, Sayuri entered his room again, tray in hand and kneeled to sit beside him. He was still sleeping.  
He must have been more tired than she thought, looking over his face she went to remove some of the hair that had fallen on his face as she would do in the three days that past. Except for this time, Bankotsu would grab her wrist in a vice-like grip that made the girl gasp and pull back. A failed attempt as the man was still able to overpower her even with all the injuries he had sustained. His eyes snapped open on reflex and looked at the woman that saved his life, that's right, he was still healing in this woman's house. The Mercenary saw fright flash over her eyes and let her wrist go, fear didn't surprise him any longer. 

Sayuri pulled her wrist to her chest and rubbed the hurt. Her face was conflicted and confused sure what to make of his actions and despite having realized it was her the man didn't apologize.   
" Your ability to move much better I see." She commented.   
Though Bankotsu hadn't shown it, that response had taken a lot of him. Not that she needed to know that. He moved to sit up, gnashing his teeth as he did so. He was disgusted with the limitations of his injured body. Though he figured it couldn't be helped.   
" Ah, I see you made breakfast then. "  
Bankotsu moved to take his portion of what she cooked and began to eat as if nothing had happened.

Sayuri blinked and watched in slight awe. How was it that he was already moving? Even so, she was no fool. She knew despite his bravado, he was still in pain.   
It was mostly silent between them, during and after the meal, as she had begun to change his soiled bandages there was silence, Perhaps it was the medicine he took that kept him quiet.   
She overlooked his bare back and frowned as his wounds still looked so raw and irritated. His ability to move as he would remind her of how strong he must be. It made her wonder...  
" What happened to you?" She asked curiously.   
" Not your concern." He replied curtly, he had no intention of speaking to the woman at the moment.   
Sayuri perked a brow at his comment and pursued her lips in thought.   
"A criminal on the run then?" She guessed as she continued to address the angry wounds on his torso.   
Bankotsu gave scoff at that. " Ha! A criminal you say? Sure, if that's what you wish to believe." He replied with a smirk on his lips. 

She had made her way to applying the salve on his arms and torso which helped him get a good look at her. At least he was fortunate enough to be tended by someone of beauty rather than an old hag. She sensed his eyes on her and glanced his way with a rather unimpressed expression.  
This made the mercenary lift his chin a bit with a smirk and perk his brow in response. Sayuri looked away and decided to focus and finish the task quickly. She had no interest in challenging him to a staring contest, knowing he'd be the victor. Despite having done this multiple times, it was different going over his muscled form when he was awake. And she could tell he sensed her flustered interior.   
Bankotsu would realize that he that until now he had never been at the mercy of a woman's touch; having never lost a battle he didn't know what it was to be immobilized so much that the simplest of tasks would take such an effort. His pride was wounded, and he couldn't help but think of the hatred the stirred in him for those that betrayed him. He vowed he would avenge his brothers, even if it killed him.

The mercenary had been so lost in his hateful thoughts that he hadn't noticed that the girl had finished wrapping up his wounds and moved behind him. He was ripped from his thoughts when he felt his bride being undone and the sound of her slight humming. It was as if her voice was tangling in his mind, it was almost nostalgic, and he didn't understand why.

"Woman, are you the only one who dwells here? I haven't heard or seen anyone else here. " He inquired suddenly, he rather enjoyed the feel of her combing through his hair.   
" My name isn't 'woman. It's Sayuri." She paused briefly before speaking again. " And yes, in the only one who lives here. For now."   
" Rather Risky don't you think?" He commented knowing that she could have easily been killed had someone else decided they wanted the place for themselves.   
" Perhaps. You managed to luck out from it though."   
Sayuri finished his braid and made sure that his bandages were secure. After disposing of the soiled bandages, she realized that she would need more of the ointment and the bandages. She wasn't given enough for the seriousness of his wounds.   
" You can lay down now." She said softly. She assisted him in laying back down thought he insisted on doing it himself.

Sayuri didn't think to ask for the man's name, her mind being to scattered for it. He could have been jumped by bandits perhaps, in hindsight she figured it'd be almost impossible to bring down someone like him. That couldn't be it. She glanced over at the injured man, his face only slightly contorted with pain.   
She looked away seeming conflicted, had she made the right choice in bringing him into her home?   
She sighed and mentally waved away her worries, to much to do to be so concerned. She started to dress up preparing to leave and stock up for the winter, especially now that she had company.   
' I should have done this the first time I went out...' she scolded herself mentally. 

Her moving about caught the attention of the young warrior. Where was she going?  
" Yo, woman! where are you going?" he called out to her in a tone more groggy than he would have liked to admit, that damn medicine was starting to make him sleepy again.  
She sighed again at his question, it seemed he didn't care what her name was.   
Names, that's right. What was the stranger's name?  
As she went to ask her words got caught in her throat, he was already out like a light. She gave a soft smile at this and left into the village, making a mental note of what she needed. Hopefully, it would be the last trip she made until later in the winter.

 

Sayuri didn't take long to make it into the busier parts of the village. Lucky for her, the weather was cold but kind. She noticed the energy of the area was strangely off. What was a carefree town now felt tense? What happened? She wondered softly, making her way to gather the items needed. Making her first round of orders, she stood by two women engrossed in their conversation; they spoke just loud enough for her to hear what they were saying.   
" To think, a murdering is roaming about so near to us! It's frightening!" She spoke passionately.   
" I pray this winter kills the beast before he sets foot in our village!"  
The young girl's eyes furrowed, a murder?  
" I'm sorry." Sayuri interrupted them. " What is happening?"   
The women looked to her, concern written all over their faces.   
" The band of seven were ambushed and killed, but their leader managed to escape."  
" The Castle lord advised we keep watch should he enter the village."   
The image of the injured man suddenly appeared in her mind. It couldn't have been him, could it? Her stomach began to tighten.   
" What does he look like...?" She asked.  
"Well, He's a young man with a giant sword. Hard to miss I'd say."  
The other woman nodded in agreement. While Sayuri had felt her stomach turn, there was no way she could deny it, in her home was the leader of the band of seven.   
The woman had taken her fear in her eyes as a reacting to the fact he was still at large, no way of knowing that he was nearer than they thought.   
"Be careful..." The ordered her and went about their way, leaving Sayuri conflicted in the next step she should take. 

This new information simmered in her mind as she gathered whatever else she needed for the winter season. Her body moving on autopilot until the only thing left for her was to return home. For the first Sayuri was apprehensive about going to the place she called home for years. Her heart pounded as she made her way, she had to make a decision. What was she going to do when she returned home?   
Turning him in could bring her problems to an end. It was so simple, and yet she found that she was hesitant to do it. Her mind raced a mile a minute, and before she knew it, she was in front of her doors of the house. She swallowed hair and went into the house, setting her things aside she found that he was still asleep.

His face twisted with pain as he slept, his breathing strained. He behaved as if his wounds were scratches, but she knew better than to believe that.   
He was in pain, and she felt sympathy swell in her heart for him.   
" I must be mad…" She mumbled to herself. Murderer or not she already made the decision, even if that decision made her feel a foreboding.   
Sayuri kneeled beside the man remember earlier when she had gone to touch his face.   
" It's me..." She said softly, as she went to rub a wet cloth over his face.   
The action caused him to wake a bit and look at her. They started at each other for a moment before he turned away and fell back asleep.


End file.
